Broken to Beautiful

A friend asked me recently

How I made sense of the losses in life

And not to lose faith in spite of them

And I prayed for the discernment to know...

But I'm at the point of my life where I know

That losses bring about just as much depth

And understanding as love and joy

For it is in the letting go that I've discovered

The true sense of myself and where I belong.

For God has taken all the pieces of me...

Sorrows as well as joys, heartache as well as triumphs

And woven them together...just as He knit me together in Creation

So that my life's story could be told and could bring Glory to Him

For losses and griefs may seem overwhelming at times

But they give me a deeper sense of who I am at the core of my soul

And they give me an amazing hope when I realize, once again

That all that is broken--all the wounds, loss and pain--

Have been healed to reveal something deeper, richer, fuller

All that is broken is made beautiful.

For with a heart of faith, there is a glimmering hope that shines

For the gift of learning finally how to let go of what does not belong

And the gift of clinging to the One I do belong to -- completely, wholly

Shows me that all the pieces of brokenness that once were scattered

Are just clinks in the armor of love--wounds that have been restored,

Lessons learned, and faith deepened to overflowing to the God who is my refuge

And strength, the One who already knowsHis plans for me

Who doesn't view me as broken, but as His beautiful Child

The One who satisfies the desires of my heart

The One who forgives the crimson of my guilty stains

The One who has taught me I am no longer unworthy

But a masterpiece He created to be used for His glory.

The One who turns broken into beautiful.

Lenten Journey

Loosening my grip, releasing

What is not mine anyway

The shadows and mystery begin

Lent quietly enters

On the the journey to the cross.

I can no longer find myself unworthy

For with You, I find myself completely loved

The vivid colors of the gift of life You created

And I cannot deny your precious grace

So in awe of the rythms of life that point to You

When I am open and attentive and responsive

That you weave, bit by bit into the flow of this soul

With understanding and compassion that changes me.

You tenderly call me into your embrace

Whispering, at first, and revealing your presence--

Sometimes as gently as a shooting star in the sky,

Or as boldly as the rough waves crashing in the middle of a storm

At times, in the most ordinary, everyday manner

But other times, in unsual, surprising, even asotnishing ways

Opening the dimness in my vision and uncovering what I don't hear clearly

Drawing me ever closer into the the love story that leads to the cross

But does end there.

Beyond the cross to the empty tomb

And the undeniable hope that you wrap me in

Trusting and following the Faithful One

Into the mystery of your holy sanctuary

Of your extravagant and enduring love.

On Snowy Days Like These

On snowy days like these

My mind wanders back to my childhood

Of the farm I grew up on and the extensive landscape

A blanket snow falling onto the field beyond the farm

The woods surrounding seeming to call us

For a sled riding adventure or snow fort making

But it was then I realized the gift of snow

Standing in the woods, beyond the laughs and glee

The quietness, the silence, the solace of it all

Snow falling gently or crunching beneath my feet

I love when I am called into the silence

Where I see and hear and feel

Such simple and pure gifts

That point me to the Creator

I am reminded that the busyness of life envelops me sometimes

I go too fast towards things that do not matter,

Instead of enjoying the glimpes, tasting the Living Water

Hearing someone's cry, choosing the light

And I realize I don't want miss the most precious moments

Of a touch, or a smile, or the light in someone's eyes

And somehow this moment reminds of that

Of all I can miss is I don't pay attention

Now, I go out my own door and there is

The smallest patch of woods beyond our front door

And I am called there again, with the beauty of the snowy day

So delicately laced on the bushes and trees

I walk to the center and look up

Remembering the joy of those first snowy days

The pure white, untouched, innocence in the landscape

The whisper of wind that I am sure is calling my name

Here, in this moment, I am so aware, so awakened

I remember and embrace the gift

The glory of the grace that surrounds

And I am so grateful.